


Reach for the Moon and Land in the Stars

by Lazchan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 03:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18402137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazchan/pseuds/Lazchan
Summary: Minako always dreamed about being on the stage and her dreams take her to America.





	Reach for the Moon and Land in the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Primadonna zine! We had a wonderful charity and so many talented people in the zine.

**** Hiroko couldn't help but smile at her friend, who was twirling around, clutching a magazine tightly to her chest. She had gotten it in the post yesterday and as far as Hiroko was concerned, she hadn't put it down once. 

"Minako-senpai," she chided her friend through her laughter. "Lunch will be over before you've had a chance to eat any of it. You can tell me about your magazine while we're eating." She patted the spot next to her. Minako had a habit of getting too wrapped up in things to remember the small things in life, but right now, Hiroko was determined that even a magazine with ballerinas on the cover would not keep her friend from eating. 

"But this article is all about Lilia Baranovskaya!" Minako thumped down in an uncharacteristic lack of grace. "She's been chosen as the principal for the Bolshoi Ballet! I've shown you the videos of her; she's so amazing and I would kill to be able to see her live." 

"You said that so easily!" Hiroko was impressed with how flawless Minako made the Russian name sound. Hiroko was studying English and was fluent in that, but the thought of another language was daunting. "Have you been studying?" She carefully took out the onigiri and tamagoyaki, placing them on the small plate, before putting down the salad and handing the plate over to her friend. 

Minako nodded, looking a little embarrassed, but she bit into her food with enthusiasm, the plate held in one hand and the magazine in the other. Hiroko eyed both warily, wondering which was going to fly first. "I want to go to New York," she said, putting down her plate to fiddle with her skirt. "There is a summer training program and if I'm good enough, I can be selected to study year-round in Moscow." 

Hiroko's jaw dropped. "That's so far away, Minako-senpai! Isn't there a ballet company closer to home that you can apply for?" She knew enough that Minako's main teacher used to be in the Kikuchi Ballet company. Still, this wasn't about keeping her friend close by her side. She recovered herself quickly, putting down her own lunch to give Minako a hug. "I know you can do it! You're so talented that you will have no problem at all being accepted." 

"I know I can do what my teacher did, but I want to see what other companies do." She looked faintly worried for a moment. "There's going to be a lot of people going for the same spot," Minako made a face, but her smile was wide and happy at Hiroko's open acceptance and encouragement. "I wanted you to be the first to know; my parents have already given me permission, but you're the first of my friends to know."

Hiroko practically bounced on her spot on their shared blanket. "Are you going to be able to train with your Lilia person?" she asked, "Since you will be going to the same place that she is at?"

Minako shook her head at first, then paused. "I don't know, actually  … she's really high up there, but she's not prima, so I might see her in some classes." She chewed on her lip and laughed. "Listen to me, talking about how I am already going to Russia when I haven't even left Japan yet."

"Or finished the day of classes," Hiroko teased, just as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. She handed Minako the last rice ball with a firm look that ordered her to eat it, then packed up the empty bento box, tying it up again in the soft cloth. Even if Minako was getting ready to graduate in a few weeks, it wasn't over yet. 

She rested a hand on Minako's shoulder before the other could run off. "I know you will go, Minako-senpai," she said, sincere. "Even though I will miss my best friend, I want to see you in those magazines that you love so much."

Minako gave her a hug and linked her arms with her as they walked into the school building together. Minako would be graduating soon, but whether she got into her dancing school and traveled around the country, or stayed at home, would determine her life. Hiroko wished that Minako didn't have to go so far away, but she wanted to reach the highest pinnacle of her dreams. 

~

"It looks so official," Hiroko and Minako peered at the large brown envelope together. They were in Minako's room, cold glasses of barley tea on the table between them. The spring term was over; the first without Minako and summer break was getting ready to start. Minako was going to help Hiroko with her summer homework, but all thoughts of studying had gone out the window once the mail had arrived. 

"I'm a little scared to open it," Minako confessed. "What if they don't want to sponsor someone to this summer program that is as far away as Japan?" She bit at her nail nervously, pushing the envelope towards Hiroko with her free hand. "You do it." 

Hiroko laughed and pushed it back. "It's your letter!" she protested. "I already know you're going, I just can't wait to see your expression when you realize that other people realize how amazing you are." 

"Ughhh," Minako covered her face for a moment, the tips of her ears red. "I just don't want  …  to be  … " Her voice was weak and Hiroko understood her fear. She wanted to go so badly that it hurt; it was something she had been pinning her hopes on for years. 

"Have faith in yourself, Minako-senpai," Hiroko gently uncovered Minako's face. "We need to know now so that we can plan a great going away party for you," she teased. "And then I really rush to get all the summer homework done so that I can sneak away to see you on the stage as the top ballerina." 

Minako laughed and gave her a playful shove. "You just don't want to do it on your own," she laughed, setting the envelope in her lap again. "What would you do without your senpai here, helping you with all the tricky bits?"

Hiroko gave her a gentle, teasing smile. "Call her up at one in the morning and ask her how to speak English properly since she'll be in the perfect place for it?"

Minako laughed at that. "I'll be too busy practicing my Russian!" she protested, then reconsidered. "But I guess if I want to explore New York, I need to know English well, too. Watch me be the one to call you up early in the morning! You are still better than I am." 

"Hush, you're a lot better than me," Hiroko protested, but her cheeks were pink with the praise Minako gave her. She always said that she had the advantage; her parents both spoke English fluently and with them running a popular onsen, they had guests from around the world, a lot that didn't speak Japanese at all. It was to her advantage that she learned early. 

"Alright, well--" Minako took a deep drink of her tea to steady her nerves before she gently tore at the top of the envelope, revealing a sheath of papers inside. She eased them out and Hiroko noticed with amusement that her eyes were closed the entire time as if that would change the outcome. 

"You have to be able to see to read the result, Minako-senpai," Hiroko laughed. 

"I know, I know," Minako mumbled, squinting open one eye, reading slowly. If it wasn't for the change in Minako's expression, she wouldn't have been able to brace herself as Minako threw herself at her, babbling something that Hiroko couldn't understand with the speed of it.

"I take it you got in?" she laughed. Minako sat back and rubbed at her eyes, the papers falling from her hands to spread across the floor. Hiroko could read at some of the English letters, the block letters clear and crisp on the official-looking papers, but she wanted to hear it from Minako.

"Yeah … yeah, I got in," she laughed, the sound frayed at the edges. "I … I got in," she said, dazed, then she stared at Hiroko. "I'm going to America," she said slowly, then she grinned widely and hugged Hiroko again, her grip tight. "I'm going!"  

Hiroko knew that no matter how far Minako's dreams took her from Hastetsu, it was all worth it for the smile on her friend's face.  

~ 

Summer was lonely without Minako, but there were plenty of letters and pictures sent from New York, some funny and some beautiful. Hiroko saved all of them, especially the ones that had shots that Minako's fellow dancers took of her, slumped over her dance mat, practically drooling into her hair. That one had been sent to her by that fellow dancer; Minako knew nothing about it. 

Hiroko also used the letters as both opportunity and excuse to practice her English. She had to write Minako's address in English and there was one time she had been able to call her friend while she was in the States. That had to go through an intermediary to be able to talk to Minako; the dancers had very strict schedules and combined time difference, it was exceedingly difficult to get a hold of her. That meant a lot of conversations with secretaries, teachers and other dancers. She was just grateful that she only got people that spoke English. The only Russian she knew was the name of Minako's favorite ballet dancer and that would not help her at all. 

She was waiting for the day that Minako came back, so that they could look over the pictures of New York together; Minako's effervescent personality would make everything come to life with each word, each sweep of her arms as she described where she had been and what she had been doing when she took the picture. 

Minako had explained how fierce the competition was, but how she was learning more every day, some from the other dancers that had also been chosen from all over the world. She also had sharp, biting comments about some of the other dancers that weren't so accommodating, their attitudes had earned almost an entire page of ranting. 

She sounded so at home in New York, surrounded by the people that could understand and cultivate her passions the most. Hiroko wasn't like her; she preferred staying home and seeing people as they came by, but she couldn't wait to see her best friend again. The space across from her seemed so empty; working at home seemed so much duller without Minako hanging out around the corners, calling out encouragements and teasing, then after several minutes, helping her with a task. Bumping elbows while washing dishes or stacking towels in the bathing room; even the simplest, most boring tasks flew by because Minako was there.  

When Minako finished her training-competition in New York, it would be to either to let her family know she had been chosen for Moscow or to come back and pick a college. No matter what, she wasn't going to see her in the hallways of school again. Hiroko wanted nothing more for her friend to really excel on the stage and felt that if she lost, not all would be lost, but she didn't want to see the spark go out of her eyes, either. The videos sent back of her dancing, the pictures and letters; all painted a picture of someone who found what she could shine in the most and was grasping the opportunity with both hands. Hiroko would never suggest holding a dream like that back.  

After the last letter of Minako gushing about how happy she was, Hiroko wanted to sneak off to America herself and see just what Minako was doing now; before Minako left for years without coming back home.  

The only thing that stopped her was that school was starting soon and the inevitable lack of money; as much as she wanted to support her friend, she couldn't disappoint her family and if she disappointed them, there would be no opportunity to see Minako in the future. She couldn't help but wonder what it was really like for Minako on the other side of the ocean. Something that was much more exciting than studying English and looking after her parents' onsen.  

~ 

Minako was exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. The teachers she had here were not really more intense than her teachers in Japan, but they were more relentless in a way. There was nothing holding her back from working herself to pieces. New York was a fantastic distraction, but the lure of being able to study in Moscow, to be able to possibly one day meet Lilia, was too much of a temptation to throw it away with the sights New York had to give.  

She was gathered with a dozen of her fellow dancers, all of them watching their teacher with anxious eyes. There was a big announcement today and it could be good as well as bad; the last time all of them had paused in the middle of the day like this was to toss out a girl that had been sneaking out during the night, doing who-knew-what; but there were firm rules and leaving the dorms after hours was strictly forbidden. She didn't think there were any scandals like that now, either the students had gotten more cautious or been even smarter about sneaking out and coming back without being detected.  

"I know our taking a break from practice is a little unorthodox," Madame Durand clasped her hands in front of her, relaxed and her smile made Minako relax. Surely she wouldn't be smiling like that if any of us were in trouble. "But we have a marvelous opportunity that I think takes precedence over what we were studying." 

There were muffled whispers behind her, but Minako focused all of her attention on her teacher.  

"How would you all like to see an exclusive production of La Sylphide in a week's time?" she asked. "Done by the American Ballet Company." She waited for the excited conversation to die down before continuing. "This is an exciting experience for you to see a full company perform and they have graciously allowed us to see their warm up and learn about their routines. This is not a usual offer, but as they are going to start their Fall season shortly, they are giving us a chance to see what most people are not able to see. When they heard about the promising class and what our prize is at the end, they graciously decided that this would be a worthwhile experience for such promising young students." Minako had to be imagining her teacher's lingering look on her.  

Minako's jaw nearly dropped at the idea of being able to see so much of the background of the American Ballet Theatre, one of the most prestigious companies in the world. She hadn't been able to see any of their performances live yet; they had been on tour until recently, but their home was New York. Their teachers, of course, were mainly from the Moscow company, with a mix of teachers from America and France, but to see a full performance from such a well-known company would be the most amazing experience.  

"We will have one last surprise for you at the end of the workshop, so just make sure that you work just as hard as before and even harder." She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Don't lose focus now, you're almost at the end." Her smile was bright. "I'm so proud of all of you and I can't wait to see where you go." 

~ 

It was the last week; Minako missed home desperately, but she also wanted to stay and explore and keep growing. Even though Matsuda-sensei had lifted her up and taught her so much, she was able to learn so much on an entirely different level. Right now, she was sitting in the front row of the David H. Koch theater and if she craned her neck back, she could see the rows and rows of seats above and behind her. It was all too easy to imagine this theater filled to the brim. She wanted to be on the stage, watching the audience file in, looking at their expressions of wonder and delight of seeing a talented company perform a story that everyone knew in their hearts.  

Some of the dancers were on the stage, sitting on the edge, wearing their practice clothes and talking amongst each other. A few watched the students, waiting for the signal where they would give a demonstration and then answer questions. 

"Some of you came from far away for this, yes?" One girl called out, looking towards them. She was everything that Minako aspired to be, graceful and sitting with a poise that Minako didn't think she could emulate right now. Every part of her ached from the intense training that led up to this date. "Who do you think has come from the farthest away?" 

Without hesitation, Minako's classmates all gestured to her. "Minako came all the way from Japan," Amy said, grinning a little. "She's one of the best of us, though." There was no hesitation from her, but Amy reminded Minako of Hiroko; open and happy and willing to lift other people up, no matter what.  

"Oh?" The woman leaned forward. "You didn't want to learn at home anymore?" She tilted her head. "How old are you? Fifteen?" 

Minako blushed and shook her head. "I will be eighteen this December," she had to grin a little. If her teachers didn't know her age from her audition information, they would have thought the same thing. "I just graduated from senior high school."  

"Well!" She looked impressed."It means that you have all the time in the world now to focus on dancing, now that you are done with the hardest part of your schooling." There was laughter all around from the other dancers. "Unless you are planning to do college as well?" 

Minako was a little overwhelmed at all the attention on her, but after a quick nod, the focus was switched to Amy next to her and she could breathe a little easier. She was afraid that the next questions would be about her dancing and techniques and she didn't want to fall short in front of this self-assured, talented dancers. She just wanted to see them practice and dance and then find out who was the one dancer that was being accepted by the Moscow company.  

She was so close to realizing her dream. She knew that even if she didn't make it this year, there were still other opportunities ahead, but when she went home, she wanted to prove that she was the best out of the best. She didn't want to lose the one dream she had worked so hard for.  

~ 

Minako had been so lost in the after effect of the performance that she almost forgot what was happening after; the decision that would change all of their lives—who won the final prize and how they placed overall. Those who didn't make it to the Moscow Company would still get letters of recommendation for what schools they wanted to go to.  

"So, the summer has ended and you have all been through an intense six weeks," Madame Durand smiled at all of them. They were all relaxed and in street clothes; it felt so weird dressing in something that wasn't leggings or leotards; not a ballet flat was to be found today. Everyone was packed up and ready to go back home or to their new schools, depending on how they did overall.  

Minako had her ticket already bought; she was still going home, even if she won the final prize for the competition. There was everything she would have to get in order; an entire life that she would have to upend. She missed her family and she missed Hiroko. She wondered how her friend was doing; what tourists had come to Hasetsu; if Hiroko had yet noticed that Katsuki-san was making eyes at her behind her back and following her around like she was the answer to the most important question.  

Hiroko was in her last year of school; it had already been weird enough when April came about and she wasn't wearing her school uniform anymore, but to go back and find that Hiroko would be halfway through her final year where Minako hadn't been there for part of it was even stranger. They had already been walking separate paths, but this was driving it home.  

Minako's attention went back to their teachers, all them smiling at the students they had worked so closely with for the last month and a half. "We want to say that all of you are amazing, fantastic dancers. You will all excel in whatever stage you dance on; this is something that we want you all to know. Do not be disappointed with your results; learn and grow and take this opportunity to grow on the stage."  

There were nervous glances exchanged between everyone. Something that sounded so encouraging was also not encouraging at the same time. It was like a teacher gently trying to let down a student to do something else, anything else, but dance.  

"Now, we will not drag this out any longer," Madame Baker looked over the group. "You have been all waiting long enough and on pins and needles, I am sure. The one that is getting her scholarship program and training with the Moscow Company is Amy Petersen."  

Minako felt the bottom drop out of her world, but the announcements hadn't ended yet. "And as for one final surprise …" 

~ 

Hiroko blinked at the ringing phone next to her ear, waking her up out of a sound sleep. She was sleeping in the main area, waiting for Minako to call her, but she hadn't expected to be called at … she squinted at the time, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "1 am?" she huffed out a laugh. "I think you were so excited that you forgot what time it was in Japan."  

Minako's voice came through, a little fuzzy and a lot of excited. "You won't believe it!" Hiroko could practically see her twirling around, the one hand that wasn't clutched around the phone reaching out in a graceful arc.  

"You're going to Russia?" she asked. It seemed the logical conclusion; Minako wouldn't be this excited if she didn't win the top prize she had been aiming for.  

"No! I'm going to New York!"  

Hiroko wondered if she was still asleep or if she heard Minako correctly. "I thought you were already in New York," she said slowly, confused. "I didn't imagine the whole summer you were gone, right? You aren't actually home and you haven't left yet?" 

Minako's laugh was as clear as a bell and Hiroko hunched further into the corner she had wedged herself in, lowering her voice so that her parents didn't wake up; even if they would be excited, they would be more disappointed that Hiroko was taking calls early in the morning without consideration for others. "No, I mean—yes, but—oh my god, I want to tell you in person, but I have to tell you now. I got accepted into the American Ballet Theatre." 

"Is that … better than the Moscow one you wanted to go to?" Hiroko asked cautiously. She hadn't even known it was an option; Minako had made it sound like it was Moscow or home. There hadn't been any other choices discussed during all their letters and calls. She didn't know anything about the ballet companies other than what Minako told her.  

"I … it's not better, but it's not worse, either," Minako's voice was hesitant. "It's one of the top-ranked ballet companies in the world and I … I didn't expect to get offered the chance. Apparently, while we were doing our routines and performances and training camps, they had scouts from ballet companies from all over, watching the dancers."  

"Ohhh how amazing, Minako-senpai!" Hiroko clapped her hands together, so happy for Minako, but a little worried, too. "You … you are coming back, for a little while, at least?" she asked. She hoped that Minako wasn't just going to stay in New York and never come home again; she could understand the temptation, but she was also a little selfish, wanting to see her best friend again.  

"Of course," Minako laughed and it was so easy to picture her open, happy expression. "My plane tickets haven't changed at all and I'm going to have to pack so much more stuff for living in New York and of course, I have to see you again. There's so much we have to catch up on and …"  

Hiroko was relieved. Even though Minako was going to be leaving again, for a short while she would be able to share in the dream that her friend had grasped in both hands and no matter where she ended up in the end, Hiroko would always be there for her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
